Adjustable air valves for conventional steam heating systems are known. Such valves are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,576,954.
The present invention relates to an improvement in adjustable valves of this type. More specifically, in accordance with the principles of the present invention, a new and improved air vent seal is provided.
In accordance with the present invention, the new air valve comprises a cylindrical valve body closed off in its upper and lower ends and attachable to a conventional radiator through a straight or angled threaded fitting. The valve has a rotatable, external collar having six apertures of varying sizes which may be rotated about a new and improved frusto-conical vent wall extending from the outer cylindrical envelope to a plane disposed inwardly of the cylindrical outer envelope. The vent opening at the inner portion of said frusto-conical vent wall is closed by a new and improved cylindrical sealing means having a flat circular sealing surface. This arrangement provides reliability of sealing, effective and reliable operation of the valve as well as facilitating manufacture of the valve of the present invention.
As with earlier and known adjustable air valves of this type, a bi-metallic element is disposed within the valve and carries a vent sealing elastomeric member. As will be understood, adjustment of the effective size of the venting orifice requires only a rotation of the collar to provide rapid venting in hard to heat areas of a steam heating system, or provides restrictive venting in overheated areas serviced by radiators in a conventional steam system.
The utilization of the valves of the present invention on each of the radiators in a conventional steam heating, multiple radiator system allows each radiator to heat extremely quickly with only ounces of vapor. Fuel consumption is conserved as the boiler is fired to build up the requisite pressure to service the entire system.
As will be appreciated, each radiator in the sytem can be adjusted to any one of many different orifices sizes, so that the entire steam heating system is balanced and equalized to provide fast and uniform heating in each area or room in which a radiator is located, thereby providing comfortable heating in each such area or room. Utilization of the new and improved air valves of the present invention eliminates the need to keep boilers firing as pressure increases in the steam heating system in order to reach remotely situated, and different to heat radiators. Moreover, the adjustable air valves of the present invention have sufficient venting capacity to be installed at the end of basement mains, when they are adjusted to the largest venting orifice within the collar to provide rapid air elimination from the system.
For a better understanding of the above and other features and advantages of the present invention, reference should be made to the following detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention and to the accompanying drawings.